Fuel and process of forming the same.



UNITED sra DONALD MARKLE, 0F HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA.

FUEL AND PROCESS OF FORMING- THE SAME.

No? Drawing.

To all whom-it may concern:

Be it known that l, DONALD MARKLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hazleton, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Fuel and. Process of Form- 'ing the Same, of which the following is a specification.

As is well known in the operation of anthracite coal mines a great quantity of coal is produced in such a fine state of sub division as to be unavailable for use as fuel. This waste fine coal, known as culm, not only reduces'the available output of the mines but by reason of its accumulation is a source of expense and trouble.

The object of my improvements is to can able the practical and economical utilization of this culm as fuel in the same manner as anth 'acite coal is ordinarily employed. Various attempts have heretofore been made to this end, as by compressing the culm into bricks with a binder, but without success, the product either disintegrating into its originalstate of fine division upon the application of heat or burning with an undesirable smoky flame.

o the end of accomplishing the desired object my invention broadly stated consists in combining the culm into a mass of such compactness that when broken into pieces of siz 'suitable for fuel it shall burn on the o1..side of the lump in the same manner as ordinary anthracite coal and without disintegration and with a binding material of such nature and in such proportions as will, while holding the particles of anthracite to gcther, contribute to this result and burn without smoke in the anthracite itself.

In carrying my invention into effect I mix with the anthracite culm from 15 to 35 per cent. of hard coal-tar pitch, 01' other analogous pitch. The proportion of pitch employed is important since it'too little is used the product will be non-coherent crumble while too much will give it an undesirable porosity.- Preferably before forming the mixture the culm is ground to a lineness of from 520 to 80 mesh and the pitch is also ground or pulverized to practically the same extent. ,The t\vo are then thoroughlv same manner as the mixed and the mixture is charged in the mass into a suitable closed retort and heated.

at such temperature and for such timeas Specification of Letters Patent.

C. and upward.

and will Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

Application filed September Ill, 1917. Serial No. 190,741.

to drive oil the volatile matter from the pitch. f

Preferably I employ a temperature of 700 A somewhat lower remperature will effect the result but is not economically desirable on account of the long time required.

When the volatile matter has been driven off from he pitch the mass is discharged from the retort and quenched with Water to prevent combustion in the air.

The product thus formed is not coke but is a very hard, relatively dense homogeneous mass of unchanged particles of anthracite held together by the distillation residue of the pitch, as a matrix. Its cellular space is very much less than that of coke, being below 40 per cent, while it has a specific gravity of 1.8+.

This fuel, While not particularly adapted for use in metallurgical operations since it does not burn throughout the mass but only on the surface, has a high calorific value and burns with a smokeless flame. It is thus equally desirable with ordinary anthracite as a fuel for domestic use or for making steam.

I am aware that is is not new coke from a mixture of hard pitch and noncoking bituminous coal and I do not claim this as my invention which differs broadly therefrom in the fact that my product has none of the distinguishing characteristics of coke and is not adapted for the uses to which coke is particularly applicable.

to make by Letters Patent is:

1. The fuel forming process which consists in comminuting and mixing together in the specified proportions anthracite culm and hard pitch free from other constituents, I charging the mixture. into a retort in the mass and heating the mixture to distil off the volatile. constituents of the pitch] 2. The fuel forming process which consists in making a mixture, tree from other constituents, of anthracite elum and hard pitch in the specified proportions and heat ing the. mixture to distil oil' the volatile constituents of the pitch without forming coke.

3. The fuel forming process which con sists in con'uninuting and mixing together in the specified proportions anthracite culm and hard pitch free from other constituents and heating the mixture in the mass without compression to distil ofi the volatile constituents of the pitch Without forming coke.

4. A fuel consisting of particles of comminuted anthracite culm held together in a dense mass by a matrix consisting of the distillation residue of hard pitch.

D 5. A fuel composed of particles'of comminuted anthracite culm held together in a dense mass by a matrix consisting of the distillation residue of hard pitch Without ad-' mixture of other constituents.

6. A fuel composed of particles of comsignature this 7th minuted anthracite culm held together by a matrix consisting of the distillation residue of hard pitch and having a cellular space of less than 40 per cent.-

7. A fuel composed of particles of comminuted anthracite culm held together by a matrix consisting of the'distillation residue of hard pitch,' having a cellular space of less than 40 per cent. and adapted to burn with a smokeless flame.

In tesimony whereof I have afhxed my day of September, 1917. DONALD MAR-KLE. 

